JUST as they did 12 months ago, Current Option and Adrian McGuinness stole the show on the final day of this year’s Galway Festival as they made it back-to-back wins in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Ahonoora Handicap.
After going on to win at listed and Group 3 level subsequent to his victory here last year Current Option found himself 6lb higher in the weights off a mark of 105.
However, he had the notable assistance of Cian MacRedmond’s 7lb claim to call upon and he was also the class act of the race.
After getting a perfect tow into the race along the inner, the Dooley Thoroughbreds, Bart O’Sullivan and Shamrock Thoroughbreds-owned gelding showed an impressive change of gear to cruise into second rounding the last bend and it simply looked a question of how far at this stage.
There was late drama though as Current Option got carved up by a loose horse just as he was coming to head stablemate Spanish Tenor.
The 5/1 chance composed himself quickly though and recovered from the untoward attentions of his errant rival to lead inside the distance and get home by half a length from the English raider On A Session who was reaching the frame in this race for the third year in a row.
Delighted
“I ran a bunch of horses with good live chances and they all had great draws and I was delighted how they all ran,” said McGuinness, whose four runners all finished in the first six. “This horse didn’t run a bad race behind Sirjack Thomas here on Tuesday when he got a check at a vital time. Cian gave him a fabulous ride from a great draw and he’s a class horse who loves this place which is a help.
“I’d imagine we’ll go back to Cork for the Platinum Stakes next. You have to have good horses to win these races and the Stephen (Thorne) and the team do a great job sourcing these horses.”
Mikey Sheehy, who won the Colm Quinn Mile on the McGuinness-trained Sirjack Thomas, was amongst the winners later on the card as Peter Fahey’s Insane Bolt (8/1) took the first division of the 50-75 rated Fr Breen Memorial Handicap over just short of a mile and three-quarters.
Fresh from a good run over hurdles here on Thursday, the Normal People Partnership-owned gelding was travelling all over his rivals turning in. It was just a question of whether he would get a gap but an opening arrived in a timely fashion which allowed him to defeat Lunar Power by a length and three-parts.
The winner was claimed for €5,000 from a hurdle race at Limerick two months previously with the specific aim of running twice at Galway.
Relish
The other division of that staying handicap went to Ray Cody who sent out Bell Ex One (9/1), owned by his wife Gillian, to strike under Ben Coen. The three-year-old was 11lb higher than when winning at Gowran much earlier in the season and appeared the relish the longest trip that he has yet to race over.
He got to the front inside the last furlong and held off the rallying front-runner, Fallen Forest, by a short head. Cody also bred the winner and has his eye on a juvenile hurdling campaign later in the year.
WILLIE Mullins made it 10 winners for the meeting when Micro Manage (8/11) took the JPK Fencing Systems Race over just short of a mile and three-quarters which presented the Merriebelle Irish Farm Limited-owned gelding with his first win in over two years.
The very lightly-raced five-year-old was returning to the flat for the first time since running in last year’s Irish St Leger, and he took charge of this race over the course of the last furlong after being given quite a reasonable test by Monas Melody. Colin Keane’s mount had just under four lengths to spare. “He did it well and he’s a horse with good form to his name. Talking to Willie, he thought he’d improve from the run so to go and do it like that, you’d be very happy with him,” reflected Keane.
Keane, who claimed the Pat Smullen Perpetual Trophy as the week’s leading flat rider, was also successful on Dermot Weld’s Malayan (15/2) in the Lord Hemphill Irish EBF Median Auction Maiden over seven furlongs. The Lady O’Reilly-owned daughter of The Gurkha finished well with an untroubled passage in the straight and she hit the line three-parts of a length ahead of Pride Of Derry, who looked unlucky.
“Chris (Hayes) liked her the first day, he felt she was plenty green and would come on a good bit. She still rides green so you would think she will improve and she could be a nice filly,” the rider said..
Gibney’s Supreme stands alone
THE distinction of being the only horse to win twice at this year’s meeting went to Tom Gibney’s Imposing Supreme who added the Ardilaun Hotel Handicap to his win here on Tuesday.
The Leonard Kinsella and Kevin Haigney-owned five-year-old, who only crept into this race as a third reserve, raced much closer to the pace than he did five days previously but had a better draw to aid his cause and was dropping back in trip from a mile to seven furlongs.
Chris Hayes produced the 2/1 favourite to lead inside the distance and the pair got home by half a length from Fridtjof Nansen.
“He came out of Tuesday in fantastic form and I confident that he’d be thereabouts if he got in. The horses are just in great form at the moment and long may it last,” remarked the trainer who ended the meeting with three wins to his name.
Three winners
Denis Hogan was another trainer to reel off three winners at this year’s meeting and his final success came courtesy of Church Mountain (12/1) in the Kenny Galway Volvo Handicap for three-year-olds over a mile.
Joey Sheridan made most of the running on this Joseph Kelly-owned son of Pride Of Dubai who reached the line with half a length to spare over Ten Ten Twenty.
“Today was the first day that we made the running with him and it’s been the making of him. Joey was very good there and Joe Doyle deserves a lot of credit too as well as he made the horse – he was hard work and wasn’t an easy ride when he first came to us,” stated Hogan. “We’ve schooled him over hurdles but we probably won’t go that route this year.”
Also on the card, Joseph O’Brien added to his haul for the meeting when Kirkland Lady (7/4) secured a front-running success under Dylan Brown McMonagle in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden over just short of a mile and a half.
The Rectory Road Holdings-owned daughter of Camelot looked to be in trouble when she was joined by the favourite, Rosscarbery, turning for home, but she fought off that rival in good style and finished strongly to reach the line with three and a quarter lengths to spare.
The winner might progress further as she moves up in trip.